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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29073015">The Longest Time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeckinaHandbasket/pseuds/HeckinaHandbasket'>HeckinaHandbasket</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bill &amp; Ted (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>From Sad Dads to Glad Dads the Bill and Ted Story, Gay Panic, Hop In This Handbasket We’re Going To Heck, Idiots in Love, M/M, Making Love, Mentions of Divorce But They’re Fine, Mutual Pining, Post-Bill &amp; Ted Face the Music, Researching Gay Sex, Sharing a Bed, The Dads Try To Use The Internet, They Are So In Love My Dudes, This was Gonna Be Sad But I’ve Decided To Make It Sweet, middle aged romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:47:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,033</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29073015</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeckinaHandbasket/pseuds/HeckinaHandbasket</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The princesses never found a life where they were happy with Bill and Ted.</p>
<p>Mostly due to the most unexpected fact that they found a life where they were happy with each other.</p>
<p>To be honest, the divorce hadn’t even been that hard. They had all gone through it together, and the moment Ted reached out his hand for Bill’s when they signed the final papers made every moment of anxiety and uncertainty feel worth it.</p>
<p>Ted always made everything feel worth it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ted "Theodore" Logan/Bill S. Preston Esq.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Oh no. Turns out I love writing these old dudes. Oh noooooooooo.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The princesses never found a life where they were happy with Bill and Ted.</p>
<p>Mostly due to the most unexpected fact that they found a life where they were happy with each other.</p>
<p>To be honest, the divorce hadn’t even been that hard. They had all gone through it together, and the moment Ted reached out his hand for Bill’s when they signed the final papers made every moment of anxiety and uncertainty feel worth it.</p>
<p>Ted always made everything feel worth it.</p>
<p>Bill had moved over his final box from the house they agreed to give to the kids while Liz and Joanna traveled around the world.</p>
<p>There had been no discussion, really. Bill had just looked at Ted when they were talking about the houses, and said “Can I move back in, dude?”</p>
<p>And Ted had nodded with the first real smile Bill had seen since the princesses left them. “Yeah, Bill. Of course.”</p>
<p>He felt kinda bad about it, but he was excited, to get to live with Ted again. They hadn’t slept in the same room since their touring days.</p>
<p>At the time, it had felt like torture, to be so close without the ability to touch. But, Bill had mellowed over the years. He tried not to dive too far into the angst he felt over being in love with he best friend. It didn’t help anything to worry about it, and nothing was ever going to change, there.</p>
<p>Bill had never said anything, because when he was younger he felt totally weird about it, and then when he was older and the girls had given him a most comprehensive overview of human sexuality, he knew that it wasn’t appropriate. Or fair, to his wife, to dwell on long-held feelings for his band mate, best friend, and totally non-sexual life partner.</p>
<p>He loved Joanna.</p>
<p>But.</p>
<p>She wasn’t Ted.</p>
<p>It was never the gentle sound of her breathing that he wanted to fall asleep to. It was the funny little whistle-snort that Ted made when he rolled to his back, and the sleepy mumbles of his dreams.</p>
<p>Bill used to close his eyes and play those sounds over and over in his head like he was composing a song to fall asleep to.</p>
<p>For twenty years.</p>
<p>And now, he wouldn’t have to do that anymore. Because Ted was right there beside him.</p>
<p>He felt strange. Tingly and buzzing like they were zipping through time in a phone booth again.</p>
<p>Jittery with the anticipation of being close to Ted, feeling his warmth across the bed and hearing his sleepy noises like the best live concert to fall asleep to.</p>
<p>Bill jumped onto the bed with a laugh, bouncing on the mattress a couple of times before he noticed that Ted had frozen just inside the doorway, watching him.</p>
<p>The drawstring of his pajama pants had come loose on one side and dangled down to his knees. Bill wanted to tug on it, pull him closer and joke away that look on his face.</p>
<p>Ted looked uncomfortable. Red and squirming and just a little bit—</p>
<p>Just a little bit scared. Bill hated for Ted to feel scared. All he wanted was to keep him safe and happy, by his side.</p>
<p>“What’s the matter, dude?”</p>
<p>Bill had noticed, ever since they had met those dickwad future selves, Ted had been a little bit quieter. Slower to smile and quicker to frown.</p>
<p>It made something ache in Bill’s chest, to watch him struggle with himself like that.</p>
<p>He wanted to help, but he hadn’t figured out how, just yet.</p>
<p>Ted took a little step back with a shake of his head.</p>
<p>“Oh, nothing, Bill. I just—I didn’t know you—I can go sleep in Billie’s old bed. Goodnight, dude.”</p>
<p>“Ted, wait.”</p>
<p>Bill scrambled off of the bed, wincing as it took just a little more effort to spring to his feet than it used to. “I’m sorry, duder. I just assumed we would be sharing, like we did on the road. Didn’t mean to kick you out of your room, Ted.”</p>
<p>Ted didn’t get any less red, but the frown lines smoothed away. “Oh.”</p>
<p>Bill stamped down on the tiny frisson of hurt that welled up at Ted reacting so poorly to sleeping together.</p>
<p>And it would just be sleeping, Bill knew that.</p>
<p>Ted was totally, lamentably straight. Bill was the one who had gone through a bisexual epiphany in their thirties, when it was too late to even consider that they might—</p>
<p>But, Ted didn’t need to know that. Bill would never put that on him.</p>
<p>They were best friends forever, and that was enough.</p>
<p>Ted inched his way in the door, limbs stiff and chin tucked the way he did when he was unsure. Bill wanted to lift it with his finger, wanted to hug all that stiffness away, but.</p>
<p>But more than anything, he didn’t want to make Ted uncomfortable.</p>
<p>Decision made, Bill shuffled toward the door, pausing far enough back to allow Ted room to move around him without brushing together. “My bad, dude. I’ll just see you in the morning, alright?”</p>
<p>Ted lurched forward like he had been pushed, dark eyes pinned to Bill’s face. “I snore.”</p>
<p>Bill laughed softly, admiring the way Ted’s new beard framed his face. He had stopped shaving during the divorce and Bill found it exceptionally attractive.</p>
<p>Not that Ted ever needed to hear that. He wouldn’t want to know that, about Bill.</p>
<p>Hands twitching at his side against the urge to touch, Bill just shrugged instead. “Yeah, I remember.”</p>
<p>Ted scratched at his beard and the rough sound of it went straight to Bill’s balls. Thank god he wasn’t twenty anymore, and constant popup boners were a thing of the past. Still, if Ted didn’t cut that out soon, Bill was going to have a problem. “Worse than I did before. Liz couldn’t stand it, used to get up and sleep on the couch every night.”</p>
<p>Bill frowned just a little at that, sad to think about Ted having to sleep alone. “I don’t mind. Pretty sure I snore now, too.”</p>
<p>Ted’s gaze fell to Bill’s mouth as if he was about to demonstrate. His brow furrowed, lines deepening down familiar paths. “You really wouldn’t mind?”</p>
<p>Shaking his head, Bill lost his battle with himself not to touch, and reached out to pat the side of Ted’s arm. “Of course not, dude. But, listen, we don’t have to share if you don’t want to. It’s okay.”</p>
<p>Eyes widening, Ted blurted out so quickly that his words tripped over each other on their way out of his mouth. “No, I want to go to bed with you.”</p>
<p>He stepped back, gaze dropping to their feet as he absently pulled at his drawstring, and Bill could see how it had come loose. He’d have to fix it later, thread it back through with a safety pin.</p>
<p>Ted shook his head with a sigh, uncombed hair falling across his face in a time-worn move to hide his expression. “I mean. I want to sleep with you—no, shit. Like. In the bed. With you, Bill.”</p>
<p>He finally looked back up, eyes pleading with Bill to help him sort out his words and Bill, as always, couldn’t resist the call. He chucked Ted gently beneath the chin, heart rate jumping at the unfamiliar scratch of facial hair against his skin. “I get it, dude. Come on, let’s go to bed, I’m beat.”</p>
<p>He wound his fingers in the loose hem of Ted’s old band tee and tugged him toward the bed, walking backwards until he tipped over and fell onto the mattress, laughing once again.</p>
<p>Ted fell after him, breath hitching when he landed on top of Bill, pausing for a long, beautiful second before he rolled away.</p>
<p>Bill was going to be replaying that second of being squashed into the mattress under Ted’s long, warm body for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>He scooched up the mattress until he landed on a pillow that smelled like Ted. Unthinking, he buried his face in it happily before he turned on his side to find Ted watching him with rapt attention. Ted always paid closer attention to Bill than, well, anything else in the world.</p>
<p>I made him feel kinda special. Always had.</p>
<p>He offered an apologetic smile, punching the pillow down in front of his face to better see Ted’s. “Sorry, dude, I didn’t ask which side you slept on. Wanna switch?”</p>
<p>Ted slowly shook his head, face still a little pink. He was so beautiful in the moonlight that Bill wished he knew how to paint, just to capture it. “That’s okay, Bill. I just want to be on whichever side is next to you.”</p>
<p>Oh, that.</p>
<p>That sent happiness coursing through his bloodstream like white water rapids, because, well. Bill felt exactly the same.</p>
<p>So, he told Ted that, reaching out to brush a long, dark lock of hair out of his face without thinking too hard about it. He was past agonizing over every touch. Life was too short for that.Bill was ready to relax into this sweet feeling of, just, being together. Ted smiled at him and Bill let his fingers linger just a moment longer in his silky hair. “Me too, Ted. That’s exactly where I want to be.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ted didn’t think that he had ever felt this warm. Not, like, overheated or anything.</p>
<p>Just, warm. All the way through, inside and out.</p>
<p>He did a little happy stretch and froze with a stifled gasp. </p>
<p>His sleepy brain finally woke up enough to register the warm feeling as a weight pinning him to the bed.</p>
<p>Bill was curled into his side, arm thrown across his ribs and one knee curved up over his thighs. His head rested on Ted’s chest, and, judging by the wet spot, he was totally drooling on him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The Dads may be a little Sad right now, but I promise it gets better!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ted didn’t think that he had ever felt this warm. Not, like, overheated or anything.</p>
<p>Just, warm. All the way through, inside and out.</p>
<p>He did a little happy stretch and froze with a stifled gasp.</p>
<p>His sleepy brain finally woke up enough to register the warm feeling as a weight pinning him to the bed.</p>
<p>Bill was curled into his side, arm thrown across his ribs and one knee curved up over his thighs. His head rested on Ted’s chest, and, judging by the wet spot, he was totally drooling on him.</p>
<p>Which, should have been gross, but all it did was make Ted’s heart beat so fast it felt like it was trying to run away from the feeling.</p>
<p>His own arm was flung around Bill, fingertips brushing the searing heat of his skin at the small of his back, where his shirt had ridden up in his sleep.</p>
<p>Oh, god.</p>
<p>Ted was hard in his pajamas. A most unwelcome development. He really did not want to have to explain that to Bill when he woke up. Not that Bill would even bring attention to it, he was always more careful with Ted than with anyone else, always seemed to know how to help him feel more comfortable.</p>
<p>It was just, bodies together, probably. Ted hadn’t touched someone’s bare skin in bed like this for over a decade. He and Liz had long since discovered that they worked better as friends than anything else, but they stayed together because, well.</p>
<p>What was the point of changing things when Bill and Jo were so happy together? The four of them had a wonderful family with two great kids and Ted had always been grateful for what he was given.</p>
<p>It was selfish to wish for more.</p>
<p>His dick was selfish, aching to press against Bill’s soft tummy just inches away. Bill snorted and snuggled closer and—</p>
<p>Oh.</p>
<p>He was—</p>
<p>He was hard, too.</p>
<p>Which was, just, biology. They had always woken up hard when they were younger, made jokes about it. Ted still thought of the way Bill had always tented his boxers, every night when he closed his eyes and bit his lip and guiltily jerked off.</p>
<p>He didn’t wake up like this quite as often, now. Morning wood was still a thing, but, it wasn’t constant. He and Bill should probably be grateful that they still had it.</p>
<p>Bill shifted again, pressing the hot length of his cock against Ted’s thigh and Ted was sweating. He knew it was wrong, but he was going to replay this moment over and over in his head for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>Slowly, guiltily, he let his fingers fan out over the skin of Bill’s back as he lifted his head to bury his face in Bill’s curls.</p>
<p>He smelled divine, soft and sleepy and intensely Bill. Ted’s beard caught at his curls as he let his head sink back into the pillow, as if it was trying to hold on for just a bit longer.</p>
<p>Inexplicable tears pricked at Ted’s eyes, so he shut them tight and just waited and breathed and absorbed the transcendent feeling of Bill pressed so trustingly against him in his bed.</p>
<p>Their bed.</p>
<p>It had been a shock, that Bill had wanted to share.</p>
<p>But, then again, he didn’t deal with the internal conflict that Ted did, being in love with his best friend. So, of course it was easy for Bill to snuggle close like this.</p>
<p>They loved each other, they should be able to express it.</p>
<p>It was Ted’s problem that he had to be selfish and make things weird. Bill had never asked for Ted to warp their friendship into something else.</p>
<p>They were the best friends in the entire multiverse, and that should be enough.</p>
<p>Ted was just a dickweed who couldn’t appreciate a good thing when he had it, always wishing for more.</p>
<p>He had seen that, in the eyes of his future self from the bad timeline, that—</p>
<p>Yearning.</p>
<p>He had seen that it never went away, that it never got better, and he had just, really struggled with himself after that.</p>
<p>Not that he was going to start drinking, or anything. He wouldn’t do that to his Bill.</p>
<p>Bad Timeline Bill had looked so tired, so desperate when his Ted had hit the bottle, that it made a cold stone sink in Ted’s stomach. Maybe every Ted was kind of a piece of shit, but, here, in this timeline, he was going to do the best he could.</p>
<p>Be the best Ted he could be.</p>
<p>Which, unfortunately, meant extracting himself from beneath his best friend before Bill woke up embarrassed to be cuddling Ted like he was his wife.</p>
<p>Ted scooted off to the side, freezing when Bill groaned a low, raspy sound and tightened his arm around him.</p>
<p>Oh, that. That was. Woah.</p>
<p>Bill gripped Ted with strength, holding him in place, and it felt like something opened up inside him, music he had never heard before spilling out in all directions.</p>
<p>Ted tried to move again and Bill growled, fingers digging in as he rubbed his face against Ted’s chest and hooked his leg around his hips, pulling them flush together.</p>
<p>Oh, god, Bill’s thigh was pressed to the base of Ted’s cock and he was—</p>
<p>This was a disaster of epic proportions. Ted would never recover from this.</p>
<p>He made a tiny, helpless sound and Bill tensed against him before he slowly lifted his head, glass green eyes unfocused and soft. “Ted?”</p>
<p>His mouth was wet, where he had been steadily drooling on Ted’s shirt, lips parted with confusion.</p>
<p>Ted should remove his arm from his back, but, he really didn’t want to. So, he held on for just a moment longer. “Good morning.”</p>
<p>Over the course of their lifetimes, Ted had seen Bill smile a million times over. It never got old.</p>
<p>Bill smiled up at him and Ted’s heart decided that would be the right time for a drum solo in his chest.</p>
<p>Then Bill blinked, gaze focusing, and he went sweetly pink across his cheeks as he took in their situation.</p>
<p>He pulled back, putting space between their bodies, and Ted was cold.</p>
<p>All the way through.</p>
<p>Bill swiped at Ted’s shirt with a sheepish laugh before rubbing his hands through his curls, giving Ted a most contrite expression. “Oh, heinous, dude! I totally drooled all over Eddie.”</p>
<p>Ted looked down at his Van Halen shirt with a small, cautious smile of his own. “That’s okay, Bill, I don’t think he minds.”</p>
<p>Bill nodded, smile slipping as he dropped his gaze to the sheets, picking at a fold in the fabric near Ted’s hip. “Sorry I climbed all over you, dude. Guess I’m just used to cuddling up in bed, you know.”</p>
<p>Ted curled up on his side facing Bill, raising his leg to try to disguise his persistent erection. “Hey, that’s okay. I don’t mind that, either, Bill.”</p>
<p>Saying he didn’t mind it felt like a lie, when the truth was that he was going to crave it forever after this.</p>
<p>Bill’s face lit up, though, so Ted couldn’t feel too bad about the minor deception when Bill was all happiness and hope right in front of him. “Really, duder? That’s great, because I don’t think I’m gonna be able to stop.”</p>
<p>Elation flowed through Ted so suddenly that he felt drunk with it.</p>
<p>They could, just, have this, now.</p>
<p>They could snuggle together at night and Ted could hold Bill close and, it didn’t matter that he wanted more. This was more than enough.</p>
<p>His joy sparked laughter and before he could think better of it he had tackled Bill around the stomach, play-fighting the way they always had when there was too much emotion between them and nowhere to release it.</p>
<p>Bill crowed and rolled them until he was sitting on Ted’s stomach, warm and solid and, really, the best thing Ted had ever felt. He looked down at Ted, flushed and breathing a little heavy and, oh, god, that gave Ted a flash of how Bill might look, working himself down on Ted’s cock and—</p>
<p>Bill patted him on the cheek three times and hopped off the bed, cracking his back with a twist and a sigh before he turned to Ted with a grin. “Pancakes for breakfast, Ted?”</p>
<p>Ted sat up quick, uncaring that his hair stuck out in every direction. Bill’s pancakes were legendary, and he usually only got to have them when the family all got together on Sunday mornings. “With chocolate chips?”</p>
<p>Bill paused in the doorway, his eyes going soft the way they did when he watched their kids do something totally amazing. “Of course, dude. As many as you want.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Follow me for more fics, fanart, info on my original gay romance novels, and whatever else falls out of my horrible goblin mind:</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/HeckinaH</p>
<p>http://heck-in-a-handbasket.tumblr.com/</p>
<p>https://instagram.com/heck_in_a_handbasket</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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